about

Amy Arnold and Kelsey Sauber Olds

We are a married team of artists who make our home and studio on a
ridge overlooking the beautiful hills of Southwestern Wisconsin.A typical day finds one of us busy in the studio while the other is even
busier cooking, doing the chores, home-schooling our three boys, and
carting them to music lessons, soccer practice, or to go bird watching.

In our studios we have, until recently, each focused on our own work
and separate businesses. Kelsey has been making custom furniture and
offering a line of bamboo cutting boards, while Amy has been making
fiber and clay dolls and recycled wool hats.

In 2012 Amy made her way into the wood shop and began carving her
figurative sculptures in wood. Amy’s presence in the wood shop has led
us to a new partnership. Together, we are making a cast of human/animal
figurative sculptures in wood. The shaping, refining and texturing of
basswood is done with a combination of power and hand tools. The pieces
are finished with layers of milk paint.

As our collaboration relies upon a balance between our sensibilities,
personalities and skills, so too do our finished pieces walk a fine
line. We are interested in exploring a balance between human and animal;
wild and tame; crude and refined; movement and stability; humor and
seriousness; adult and child; toy and art object.